Spring Day
by Ichika01
Summary: "A story isn't told only by the main character's point of view." Snippets of Becoming a Hokage 101, mostly told by the people Chiyuki interacts with. Image by GLady on Pixabay.
1. 2,5

This takes place some time after chapter two but before chapter three.

I do not own Naruto.

.

* * *

.

Satoru Mina was a relatively well-known figure around Konoha, especially amongst civilians. Having arrived with nothing but a measly backpack 30 years ago, the woman had built a name for herself, owning not one, but two stalls at the marketplace - something that was no easy feat. The Village Hidden in the Leaf was a good enough place to live and to sell her dry herbs, not to mention she quickly became respected by medics for her vast knowledge of phytotherapy. Aside from that, though, she thought of herself as a pretty average woman; she had a loving if a bit grumpy husband, a well-behaved son, and business that prospered without much prompting. She was quite satisfied with her life.

Of course, living in a ninja village had both its ups and downs. Mina, just like many other merchants, believed Konoha to be a safe place only if you stuck to the civilian parts, away from shinobi business. The ninja did their part and the merchants did theirs, and there was often no need for one to get involved with another.

Accidents were bound to happen occasionally, however.

It had been nothing, really. The middle-aged woman had been unfortunate enough to get caught in the middle of a group of rowdy academy students playing ninja, and aside from a sprained wrist and a few bruises, no harm had been done. She had gone to the hospital, they gave her first care, and that should have been it.

"Ah, Satoru-san." The merchant turns around at the sound of her name being called, already knowing who it is and allowing a pleased smile to form on her lips as she gazes down gently at the child in front of her.

"Chiyuki-hime, what a pleasure to see you!" Mina sees the widening of brown eyes and the following narrowing, and she hurries to reassure the child. "Oh, please don't make that face. This is nothing, I'll be good as new in just a few days!"

The dark blonde child has a calculating expression that would have scared the woman had she not been used to it, but again, she has lived in a shinobi village for thirty years. Seeing such an expression in a toddler is far from unusual. However, she almost giggles at how cute the little princess looks. She refrains from it, certain it would not be welcome.

"Did you go to the hospital?" Satoru's heart warms at the obvious concern the child is showing for her.

"I did, dear. The medic-nin was kind enough to stop the swelling, but the bruises need to heal by themselves."

"Why didn't the medic heal you properly?" The middle-aged woman is startled by the coldness in the normally content child's eyes, something she had never seen before. Then, and only then, is Mina reminded of just whose daughter Chiyuki is.

"Because I'm not a ninja, hime. Medic-nins have to save their chakra to heal shinobi."

A heartbeat passes, then a suffocating aura presses down on the woman, vanishing as quickly as it came. Confused and slightly scared, the merchant watches as Chiyuki's face transforms into a scowl, one she had seen a few times on Biwako-sama. The child, for some reason, is more than pissed off.

"When I'm hokage, this will not be acceptable. Please wait just a little more, Satoru-san."

Mina can do nothing but look on with baffled, wide eyes as the child stomps away, determination in every tiny step.


	2. state of grace

Chapter summary: A different take on that scene where Chiyuki is released from the hospital in chapter three.

Drown with me in feelings.

I do not own Naruto.

.

state of grace

.

It happened on an innocent looking day, when Tooru's head had been full of clan training and clan meetings and the clan and the clan and-

"Tooru-niichan?" The nine year old was shaken out of scrambled thoughts by Chiyuki herself, who was looking up at him with bright, hopeful eyes. He knew he was already going to say yes to whatever she asked of him. The clan heir swallowed all his thoughts down and put on a cheerful grin for his younger siblings, feeling content when both their expressions lit up.

"Yes, Peanut?"

"Mother said we can go out to eat today. Where do you want to go?"

Tooru may not be as bright as his sister, but he wasn't a fool. He could see the way Biwako favored her youngest child, and their father was too busy to really notice anything. Sometimes, he felt as if he should be angry at them and throw a tantrum, demanding all the siblings were treated equally regardless of their gender or potential. Usually, though, he knew better, and he knew Asuma knew too.

Their Chiyuki was a bright, bright child, and she would have been their mother's favorite even if she weren't a bit of a prodigy. He felt as if their mother couldn't help but dote on the youngest, going so far as to compare the three children and telling the boys to follow their sister's example, but any kind of protest he could have done died on his tongue as soon as he noticed the young girl flinch minutely every time that happened. She then would always look at them with wide, hopeful eyes, begging them to forgive her and to understand she wasn't doing it on purpose.

And he knew it was taking its toll on her.

He could see it in the way she acted like a completely different person when it was just the three of them, how it was only then that she felt comfortable enough to truly act like the child she was, free of their mother's watchful and demanding gaze. Tooru also knew that, as the woman's main focus, his sister took the brunt of all the expectations and pressure of the clan.

So he would become clan head. He would become clan head and he would have a very interesting chat with his elders about limits and pressuring children during peace times. He would become a strong shinobi and protect his siblings from all the inside and outside dangers, no matter what he had to sit through.

For the two children walking side by side towards the center of their village, the silence that often existed between them was familiar and comfortable. For the youngest, especially, walking through the streets between her brothers had made her feel better instantly; Tooru's grip on her hand as they walked through easily recognizable streets and greeted vaguely familiar faces made it that much more real.

In the hospital, she had felt like a stranger in her own skin, uncertain of her place and her goal. Now, however, with the solid and firm grip of her oldest brother's hand in hers, Chiyuki felt whole again. She felt like she belonged here, with her beloved people, and that her goal was clear.

"What's that look for, Peanut?" She turned to look at her brother, feeling his own gaze full of mischief and curiosity. She answered with a grin of her own and a skip in her step.

"Nothing." Chiyuki answered innocently, adding when she felt Tooru's suspicious gaze. "I was just thinking that I know what I want to be when I grow up."

A sense of dread slowly filled his stomach and turned it into stone, but the boy made sure to not show any of it to his companion. Instead, he lifted one curious eyebrow. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"I'm going to be hokage, Tooru-niisan."

In that moment, Tooru was sure she'd become the leader of their village. His Peanut was smart and strong enough to earn the title with ease if that's what she truly wanted. Chiyuki would be one of their greatest kage so far, he knew. Yet, the boy also had an idea of the arduous path that his little sister would need to go through. He imagined little Peanut with the same tired eyes as their father, the weight of a nation on her shoulders, as well as the notion she'd always have to put their village first. Always.

"O-oh?" To his credit, Tooru barely stuttered in his step, mind already whirling. "And why's that, Peanut?"

It was through her sharp gaze on him that he knew she'd noticed his hesitation, but thankfully didn't mention it. Instead, she hummed lightly just as the Hokage Tower came into view, its height and color making it easily visible to all the villagers.

"For a number of reasons. Konoha is a good place to live, but it can be a great one. It just hasn't reached its full potential yet."

The nine year old felt like weeping.

His classmates once had whispered about geniuses; precocious children who thought like adults and gained strength faster than any of their peers. At the time, Tooru hadn't given any mind to that, dismissing it as rumours the elders insisted on spreading. At three years old, however, Chiyuki - tiny, tiny Peanut, his precious little sister, the one he'd watched struggle through her first year of life and who looked at him with so much adoration it _hurt_ \- already thought like a kage, and that was _terrifying_.

"Niisan?" Her hesitant voice reached his ears, and he cursed the long pause in their conversation. "Do you… not approve?"

The clan heir took no time in stopping and kneeling down in front of the younger kid, putting his hands on her shoulders and willing his gaze to convey all the complicated feelings that were making a fool out of himself. His little Peanut fought so hard for their mother's approval already; he would not make her fight for his, no matter how scared he was of the future. If Chiyuki wanted to be hokage, he'd just have to make sure he and Asuma were there with her every step of the way.

"It's not about approval, Peanut." He said gently, making sure she was paying attention to him and ignoring all the looks of the passersby. "It's about fear, and how much I'm scared for you. I know you will be a great hokage, I just know it. I just… worry." He finished lamely, still keeping his grip on her shoulders.

His sister, however, only smiled sweetly at him. She looked so much like their mother, yet so different. Their eyes, however the same they might look like, were increasingly different in their weight and kindness; whereas he mostly saw expectations and tiredness in Biwako's eyes, in Chiyuki's he saw love and a will to protect so strong it might just rival his.

"Don't worry, Tooru-nii. I'm going to protect you."

For the first time since he was four, Tooru felt like curling into a ball and crying.

* * *

Hey if I'm going to suffer when I write Tooru then my readers are too #sorrynotsorry


	3. if i lose myself

Chapter summary: In which Kakashi realizes many things, but it's still not enough.

I do not own Naruto.

.

if i lose myself

.

Kakashi knows his idea of pack is a bit messed up, but in his defense, he doesn't have much to base himself on.

When it was just himself and his dad, the notion was easy. His father was the Alpha and he, as the son, was both the subordinate and the next Alpha. Their dynamic wasn't strict as of many packs out there - Sakumo still had the final say in everything, yes, but Kakashi did have the freedom to tease and play with the Alpha as many pups are wont to do. Since it was just the two of them, it had been easy to sniff the air and immediately be able to tell whether the other person was truly content or not.

Then Chiyuki came, and that simple dynamic turned into a hurricane.

And see, the thing is that she had been - and still is, to be honest - completely different from anything else. She had been a genius child just like him, although a different kind, but oddly enough she let herself act and be like the kid she was.

Chiyuki sometimes acted like a brat on purpose - as if she had fun doing it - and it baffled Kakashi to no end.

Yet, the same Chiyuki that acted like a brat also thought like an adult. She saw things and immediately caught up on it, as if she'd seen that before - as if she'd _known_. She'd blurted out dreams of being hokage, of turning their village into a better place, of politics and economics and social problems and many other things that had been beyond his understanding.

And when he'd told Sakumo, his dad's smell had done all sorts of complicated things he as a three year old pup had no idea what to make of. It had been fearful, hopeful, relieved, worried, all at once. The Alpha had, however, gotten himself together and then told Kakashi to take it in stride and do what felt right to him.

"Whether you choose to add her to your pack or not is entirely up to you."

It's difficult to say whether or not his dad knew just what Kakashi was getting into, but perhaps he had a pretty good idea. Sakumo always spoke fondly of the old soul inside Chiyuki's body, and if the Alpha was okay with letting an entirely new dynamic shift their pack into something new, then Kakashi was too.

And then Sakumo died, and Kakashi was lost once again.

Chiyuki's family was a complicated thing he didn't want to touch without some heavy protection gear, but the girl had been completely distraught when his father died. The whys are still foggy to him, but even Kakashi could see the two had had some sort of connection, a will that connected them and it rivaled blood.

(He hadn't know it for a long time, but that connection was Kakashi himself.)

Chiyuki's brothers were okay, but he had no idea how to deal with her parents, so he avoided interacting with them. Her mother was a particularly delicate subject, and the Sarutobi siblings had a silent understanding he had no desire to be a part of.

Regardless, if you hang around the Hokage's youngest child enough, her brothers will soon follow. They orbitate around her like gravity itself is pulling them to her, like it's the most natural thing. And that was okay. They weren't pack, but they weren't a threat either. They were acquaintances, allies - people whom he could depend on if push came to shove.

Sakumo died, and Chiyuki became his Alpha, even if neither she nor Kakashi were aware of it. He became finely tuned to all the complicated things her chakra and her smell did, and although he was supposed to be the subordinate one, years turned that mess of feelings into a fierce will to protect, to defend what was _his_.

(He had already lost his father. He refused to lose her too.)

"How long have you and Gai known each other?"

She asks him in the middle of winter, when the leaves have long since left their branches and the trees are shells of what they were in spring. She has met Gai the other day, and he can tell she's just genuinely curious.

On that day he had shrugged and told her they had kind of always known each other because of their fathers, and that had been the end of it. She hadn't pried and he hadn't told her anything else, but he felt it in the air - when she wanted to say something else but refrained, and he had mentally rolled his eyes at her ability to overthink everything.

The war had come, teams had been chosen, and a new fear had been born.

Kakashi needed to leave Chiyuki's life in other people's hands, and that-

-that had not been alright with him.

He knew Gai, and he knew the boy would do everything in his power to keep the girl safe. He knows the Akimichi clan and how powerful Choza is. He thinks he can trust him.

Genma has the hairs on the back of his neck stand up from the get go. Kakashi doesn't know him and has never heard of anyone who does. Genma is apparently someone with a lot of acquaintances but few friends and worse yet, Genma is someone who smells like a threat to Chiyuki - he resents her and doesn't care for her, and it's all a gamble Kakashi doesn't wanna bet any money on. He has to rely on these people to have her back, and it makes him all sorts of defensive.

They put him on a team with people he knows, but who are not his Alpha.

(Soon she's not gonna be just his. Soon she's gonna be Konoha's Alpha. Where will that lead him to?)

There's Rin and Obito and a small sense of relief because at least he knows them. At least they're not incompetent, no matter how much he bullies Obito.

They put him under a jounin who's a result of his time; a genius who grew up far too fast, a genius who is too young to be on the frontlines just yet but who is too valuable to stay hidden behind village walls.

They put him under a guy who is supposed to be the next hokage but doesn't have a third of what Chiyuki does, and he often bares his fangs behind his mask.

"You'll have to let them in eventually, Kashi. They're your team, they're supposed to have your back." She'd say to him, young and petulant and protective of what is his and no one else's.

Kakashi is Chiyuki's just like Chiyuki is Kakashi's, and that's fine with him.

She'd then shake her head, looking older than she has any right to.

"You're my best friend, Kashi. The brother that's not from blood. You know that. But we live in a dangerous world and I need to know other people can keep you safe when I can't."

He can protect himself. He won't make the same mistakes his father did.

"That's what your team is for. You trust them and you rely on them to have your back."

He has his back and Chiyuki's. That's enough.

"Promise me you'll try. Please?"

Kakashi promised because he doesn't know how to say no to her. Because what his Alpha says is Law.

And because deep, deep down, he knows she's right. He knows he'll have to trust other people eventually - he knows that, he does.

He's just delaying that day as much as he can.

* * *

This has been sitting in my files since May, then today I woke up and wrote this in two hours.


	4. believer

Chapter summary: A brief glimpse into the future. Unknown chapter.

This was born after a bit of a struggle between myself and Lady Inspiration - sometimes I get anxious and want to write everything at once but then I remember the current timeline i t.

I do not own Naruto.

.

believer

.

Tenzou knew who she was, of course he did.

Everyone did.

Sarutobi Chiyuki was a name that'd be eventually mentioned in a conversation if you spent enough time in the streets. As the Third Hokage's youngest (and, admittedly) brightest child, she had caught the village's attention in the way a deadly virus would spread: quietly, patiently, slowly, _surely_ \- by the time you realize what's happening, it's everywhere and there's no possible way to stop it.

He knew of her, because he'd been assigned to watch her, back when Konoha's roots still ran deep and far inside the village's maze of politics. He knew what she was capable of; had shivered whenever it felt like she was staring right at him even though he knew he'd concealed his chakra perfectly.

Tenzou knew of her, but he never really got to know her until Kakashi-senpai introduced them.

The man had been reluctant, he'd been able to infer that much. It was a well-known fact within the village that the Last of the Hatake had supported their future Hokage since they were children - and, well. He was a little jealous, he could admit. Kakashi-senpai wasn't an extrovert by any means, but spend enough time with him and you'll be able to tell the difference in behavior and speech pattern whenever Chiyuki-hime is concerned.

He'd heard many things about her and honestly didn't know what to expect. Some said she was as graceful and knowledgeable as a princess. Others said she was kind and sensible.

(There was, however, an increasing amount of people who'd swear her to be the human form of a Mokumokuren, the thousand-eyed monster of ancient tales. He truly wishes he could say he doesn't believe in those.)

"Get up, Tenzou!" She hollers down at him from her mountain of iron spikes and smiles, pride and excitement in her voice.

He does nothing but pant and do as she says, although he feels delight bloom in his chest - in the couple of weeks they've been at it, he's never lasted this long against her. He lets her pride and excitement wash over him as well.

Tenzou readies his Wood Release and sees Chiyuki-hime do the same, just as the sun appears from behind the clouds, shining down on the woman and on her throne of thorns.

The brunette thinks she might be neither a princess nor a monster. She reminds him of a goddess, or a demon. He imagines she's light and darkness so closely intertwined together it looks like shades of grey, sometimes lighter, sometimes darker.

As iron and wood clash again and again, Tenzou thinks he'd like Chiyuki-hime to be his Hokage.


End file.
